169. Concerning a Complete Righteous

I heard

In the matter of “complete righteous” who did not sin. It is written, “For there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and sins not.” He replied that in each degree there is a discernment of “complete righteous,” where there is no sin. And in that degree he has never sinned. This is the discernment of from the Chazeh (chest) upwards in each degree, considered “the tree of life” and “covered Hassadim (mercy).”

And in the discernment of the Chazeh and below, there is sin and repentance. And when this is corrected we arrive at a higher degree. And there, too, begins this order, meaning “complete righteous,” and “For there is not a righteous man on earth that does good and sins not.”